Freeport Township Supervisor Patrick Sellers making his changes

Wednesday

Aug 14, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 14, 2013 at 1:23 PM

FREEPORT — Freeport Township Supervisor Patrick Sellers has held the lead role at the township for almost three months now. During his campaign he promised change, and Sellers said this week he’s already delivering on that.

Nick Crow

FREEPORT — Freeport Township Supervisor Patrick Sellers has held the lead role at the township for almost three months now. During his campaign he promised change, and Sellers said this week he’s already delivering on that.

“I told people that I was going to reform the township from the inside out and that’s what I’m doing,” Sellers said.

So what has Sellers done?

He has replaced four employees with three new ones who he said are going to help the township be “more efficient and effective.” He said the new workers have more professional experience and
buy into the changes being made more than employees from the previous administration did.

Sellers commissioned a financial audit to tackle what he sees as “discrepancies” in the bookkeeping of his predecessor. He has reduced the public assistance amounts for eligible residents to receive from $275 per month to $245 per month to be more in line with current property values. With tax funding dropping along with property values, Sellers said it’s important for the township to tighten its belt on spending.

Sellers implemented the “Red Flag Initiative” that creates a listing of condemned properties where the township will refuse to pay rent for a client. He even created a new township seal that will be watermarked onto all official documents to prevent forgery.

“We have a lot of work to do here at the township, and I have the staff to do it,” Sellers said. “They understand the vision and direction we want to go. There’s so much more that the township can do.”

Sellers said that upcoming projects will include: offering an adult literacy course for clients, building a website to stream meetings and store agendas and meeting minutes, and adding a new requirement for clients to participate in community service work in order to receive public assistance.

Tevin Brooks, 20, is currently unemployed and uses the township for assistance with his rent payments. He said he likes Sellers and what he has done so far at the township.

“People that don’t have a job, they should be able to get some kind of assistance until they get on their feet,” Brooks said.

Sellers said his job has been difficult at times but he’s learned a lot and he feels that he is up to speed.

“Things are changing quickly,” he said. “All of the doom and gloom stuff in Freeport, we have to be the ones to change things ourselves. That’s on us. When you’re dealing with general assistance, there’s no room for error.”